Donor Stories

Maureen and Robert Freedland Community Fund for Studies of the Shoah (Holocaust)

December 5, 2018

Maureen and Robert Freedland established this donor advised fund in 2014 to honor the memory of their families and all others who perished in the Shoah. “Shoah” is the term preferred by the Jewish community to describe what most refer to as the Holocaust. “Holocaust” means “sacrifice by fire,” which carries an implication that the murder of six million Jews was for a greater good or purpose.

Maureen’s parents immigrated to the United States from Czechoslovakia after WWII, having survived the tragic murders of their entire families in the Shoah. This family trauma has inspired Maureen and Bob’s work on Shoah education programs for students and teachers in our community. They use this fund to support education and immigration issues in the La Crosse area.

Maureen and Bob also have another donor advised fund at the Foundation (Maureen Freedland Social and Environmental Justice Fund) that Bob started as a gift to Maureen to recognize all of her community service work.

LCF Stories

La Crosse Concert Band

Since 1931, the La Crosse Concert Band has been bringing lively and diverse music free of charge to La Crosse residents.

Grant Spotlight

City of La Crosse Parks

The Pettibone Park Fund provided $5,100 to pay for new and improved lighting in the Pettibone Park gazebo. Each year, the City of La Crosse can determine how to utilize the fund's distributions for improvements at Pettibone Park.